The Bathukamma festival will be celebrated across Telangana from October 10 to 18, with Hyderabad preparing for large public gatherings, traffic diversions and immersion arrangements for the concluding Saddula Bathukamma celebrations at Tank Bund on October 18.
Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju reviewed preparations with senior officials, police and civic agencies and directed them to make elaborate arrangements for the final-day celebrations. The main procession is expected to bring thousands of women carrying Bathukamma from the Martyrs’ Memorial near the Secretariat to Tank Bund from 4 pm.
The Tank Bund programme is scheduled from 5 pm to 10 pm. Officials have been asked to arrange barricading, lighting, traffic diversions and basic amenities for visitors. Public representatives are expected to attend celebrations at a special stage, while hundreds of artists will present traditional art forms.
The scale of the event places Hyderabad’s public-space and mobility systems at the centre of the festival preparations. HMDA and GHMC officials have been directed to arrange immersion facilities at Bathukamma Ghat near Children’s Park and along Necklace Road, where large crowds are expected. The instructions also cover the management of movement and access around Tank Bund during the evening programme.
The city will also be decorated for the festival. Bathukamma displays will be installed at major junctions, key intersections will be illuminated and government offices across Hyderabad will be lit up. These arrangements are intended to create a festive setting while supporting visibility and movement in areas expected to receive increased footfall.
Bathukamma programmes will be held at Ravindra Bharathi throughout the ten-day festival. Events are also planned at tourism destinations and other prominent locations across Telangana, extending the celebrations beyond Hyderabad’s main Tank Bund programme.
A special Bathukamma logo is being designed this year, according to Jaju. The logo will also incorporate the Telangana Global Summit scheduled for December. The immediate preparations, however, remain focused on the October 18 procession, the Tank Bund event and immersion arrangements at designated locations.
Officials and police departments are expected to continue coordinating traffic management, crowd control, public amenities and event infrastructure ahead of the festival, with the main celebrations scheduled to conclude at Tank Bund from 5 pm to 10 pm on October 18.
